Cubs @ Mariners: Hamels vs. Hernández (Game 27)

The Cubs will face the Mariners for the first time since 2016, and Cole Hamels will lead the way. Hamels' continued success with the Cubs has been fun and looks shockingly sustainable. His last start was a bit below the standard he's set for himself in Chicago. He walked too many to go deep into the game and allowed 3 ER in 5.1 IP against the Dodgers. Jay Bruce, Edwin Encarnacion, and Kyle Seager have seen their fair share of Hamels in the past. But only Seager has produced in that time (.846 OPS against), and he's on the DL recovering from a hand injury. Mitch Haniger is 4-8 with 2 HRs against the lefty. Former Cubs' prospect Dan Vogelbach is off to a red-hot start with the bat and boasts a walk rate just north of 20%.

King Félix labored through five innings in his start against the Cubs in that 2016 series before the Mariner's bullpen ultimately took the loss. He's not the pitcher he once was, but Félix is off to a decent start this year. Last time out he got through the 7th allowing a solo HR as the only scoring and struck out 8. Both his ground ball rate and his curveball usage are up in the early going. The Cubs' current offense has little meaningful history against him, except that Zobrist is a horrid 6-39.

Recent comments

A's have decided to not be horrible and to pay their minor leaguers through the end of the season (august)

"“I changed my mind after spending a lot of time talking to our team,” A's owner John Fisher told the Chronicle. “I concluded I’d made a mistake. I’ve listened to our fans and others, and there is no question that this is the right thing to do. We clearly got this decision wrong. These players represent our future and we will immediately begin paying our minor-league players. I take responsibility and I’m making it right.""

I'm in. What more do we need, really. A beer. A game or two. The 162 game season can wait until next year (I hope). Have fun with a micro-mini season. Let the powers fight over the labor agreements. They can finish by next spring, right?

IN BRIEF (Tribune, from their mini-sports section): In a letter, MLB rejects players’ plan for 114 gamesNews servicesMajor League Baseball rejected the players’ proposal for a 114-game schedule in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts, telling the union that teams have no reason to think 82 games is possible and now will discuss even fewer.Players made their proposal Sunday, five days after management’s initial economic plan.

I agree. Laura is the real deal. I think she was the major influence that showed Tom R. and Crane Kenney how to show a "human side" and deal realistically and in a non-threatening way, with the local Chicago politicians. Kenney was clearly clueless in his initial attempts regarding the neighborhood, the Rooftop owners, and the Wrigley Field rebuild.